“If dictators can be treated this way”: how Kyiv reacted to the US operation in Venezuela

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the US military operation in Venezuela, which resulted in the detention and removal from the country of President Nicolas Maduro along with his wife Cilia Flores. His words were spoken at a press briefing and immediately spread as quotes.

Zelensky reacted with noticeable irony:
“If dictators can be treated this way, the United States of America knows perfectly well what to do next.”

He did not specify which dictators he was referring to, but in the Ukrainian media space, this statement was almost immediately perceived as a transparent hint at Vladimir Putin.

Position of the Ukrainian Authorities

The official line of Kyiv had been outlined earlier. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha reminded that Ukraine does not recognize the legitimacy of Maduro’s regime. The reasons are stated directly: election fraud, suppression of protests, and systemic violence against its own population.

In his statement, Sybiha emphasized that Ukraine supports the development of events “in accordance with international law,” focusing on democracy, human rights, and the interests of Venezuelan citizens. This wording fits well into Kyiv’s overall foreign policy rhetoric against the backdrop of the war with Russia, where the issue of the legitimacy of power and the responsibility of dictatorships has not theoretical but practical significance.

Context Beyond Venezuela

Zelensky’s reaction is perceived not only as a comment on events in Latin America but also as an element of a broader political framework. For Ukraine, which is in a state of full-scale war, any examples of harsh international pressure on authoritarian regimes are inevitably viewed through the prism of its own conflict.

The president’s phrase became a signal: a precedent is emerging in the world where a dictatorship is not untouchable — even if it has ignored criticism for many years and relied on a power apparatus.

Polarization of International Assessments

The US military operation in Venezuela caused a sharp division of opinions. Some experts and politicians speak of “liberation” and point to the chronic crisis of Maduro’s regime — economic, humanitarian, and political.

Others, on the contrary, characterize Washington’s actions as a dangerous precedent of forceful intervention, calling it a form of state-political pressure capable of destroying the remnants of international norms.

This polarization is also reflected in international institutions. In the UN, there are debates about the legitimacy of the intervention, while Western media simultaneously publish materials about violence, protests, and the depth of the social crisis within Venezuela.

A World on the Brink

The situation around Venezuela has become another marker of how fragile the world order has become. Examples of forceful dismantling of authoritarian regimes are no longer perceived as exceptions — they are becoming part of a new reality where old agreements cease to work.

For Ukraine, this is not abstract geopolitics but a matter of direct existential importance. Therefore, Zelensky’s reaction — restrained, ironic, but extremely clear — was heard far beyond Kyiv.

How exactly the events in Venezuela will affect future diplomatic and military decisions in the world is not yet clear. But it is obvious that this episode has already become part of a chain of processes changing perceptions of what is permissible and possible in global politics — as regularly reported by NAnews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency.